Final Fantasy VI - The Untold Stories
by Cheerleader03
Summary: The scenes we never got to see. The tales that were never told. A collection of stories about the unseen sides of FFVI. First up: Terra's first night in Figaro.


"The Lady and the Lecher"  
by Cheerleader03

Terra Branford stared out the window beside her bed, in the small room where she was spending the night. She had all but given up on sleeping. Indefinable thoughts swarmed her mind, ghosts from a blurry past. There was no hope in driving them away, so she remained awake, keeping a lonely vigil at the windowsill.

She was alone in this strange sandy world called Figaro. The name wasn't entirely unfamiliar, but Terra was certain that she had never been here before. She longed for a familiar face: Locke, her rescuer, or maybe even the old man who removed her slave crown in Narshe.

The sun had set hours ago and left the sky dark, a jewel case of stars. The breeze outside made the window curtains the billow like the sails of a great ship. It brought with it the dry smell of desert and the tang of machinery oil. Somewhere in the depths of her mind were other smells, some stale and metallic, others warmer - the smell of King Edgar as he breezed by her, calling her beautiful...

She returned to her bed then, feeling body conscious, vulerable. The outside air made her shiver now. Earlier she was given a change of clothes from one of the castle maids: a sort of negligee, a rich burgundy color, silky and slightly see-through. It had a tantalizingly low decolletage and gold braid trim. It was very pretty. And it made her feel very naked.

When Edgar had gotten a glimpse of her in her nightgown, Terra saw his eyes turn misty with lust. The King of Figaro was not one to hide his thoughts. Terra decided the change of clothes offered her was deliberate.

Suddenly the door to her chamber opened with a creak, shattering her reverie. A wash of torchlight from the hallway outside preceded her intruder, and framed his tall silhouette in a golden glow.

It was, of course, King Edgar, in a robe and carpet slippers. The front of the robe was open and revealed a hard chest. Yellow hair fell regally about his face and partway down his back. Earlier that day it had been tied back with ribbons; Terra had not noticed its length. His eyes were the sky at midday, blue and clear. And there was that lust again, very plain and very potent.

"My lady," Edgar spoke to Terra smoothly, his voice just above a whisper. "May I come in?"

Terra nodded, somewhat reflexively. She wasn't sure if she wanted him to come inside. But he was the king of the castle; she could not turn him down. He's a friend of Locke's, she assured herself, an ally.

Edgar entered the chamber and closed the door. He crossed the room and sat on the edge of Terra's bed and placed a hand on her knee. Terra's heart skipped a beat. His touch was electric.

"Terra, I want to ask you something," he began.

Terra said nothing, but studied him cautiously.

Edgar continued. "I wondering...if you would like to...come to my room." He rushed the last four words of his request. His eyes seemed as if they weren't quite sure of what to look at: Terra's face, the gray flagstone walls, the floor, Terra's legs... Eventually they settled on her face, though she perceived at least one furtive glance at her chest.

Terra paused, suspended in indecision. A part of her was slightly flattered, while another part recoiled. He's a friend, he's a friend, her mind repeated. And yet this was not a friendly entreaty.

"To your room," she echoed. Her voice was devoid of emotion.

"Yes, to my room. What do you say?"

Terra chose her words carefully. "Well, I don't know... Why would I want to go there? I'm comfortable here..."

"Oh, you'll be more comfortable in my room, trust me," Edgar rounded on her. He started stroking her knee then. "It's great in my room. All sorts of fun things happen in there. Some of them I can't readily describe, but..." He trailed off with a knowing grin.

Maybe it was the stroking of her knee, but a part of Terra felt inclined to let Edgar act on his desires. It was a natural reaction, she supposed. He was very handsome and suave. But with everything that had happened in the past few days, she didn't think it wise to enter into any such entanglements. "Well, I'm pretty tired right now; I don't think I'd be much fun in your room."

Edgar turned away momentarily, brows raised. Terra heard him murmur, "Tough egg to crack," before facing her once more, taking her tiny hands in his larger ones. "Forgive me, but I'm going to be blunt here. What I'm trying to say is, will you sleep with me tonight? A simple yes or no will do." His eyes darted away for a fraction of a second. "Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes," he muttered over and over again in monotone.

Terra withdrew her hands from his and backed up until she was sitting against the headboard of the bed. Undaunted, Edgar slid closer toward her until he was at her side and threw an arm around her shoulders.

"C'mon, Terra, it's really easy. Just say yes and I'll be happy." Edgar took her chin in one of his hands and moved her jaw accordingly, speaking for her in a pinched voice, "Say, 'Edgar, I'd be more than happy to sleep with you.' See? Now that's all the convincing I need." He took her by the wrist and began to lead her off her bed. Terra got as far as sitting on the edge before she halted.

"No..."

The king whirled around. "Are you going to reject me? Terra? Because I don't think I can live with that," he said in mock-desperation, cradling Terra's hand in his own. "If you reject me, I'll have to go back to my room, back to a cold, lonely bed -"

"No, I'm not rejecting you..."

"Okay, then let's get going," he said jauntily, his voice resuming its normal boisterousness. He took up Terra's hand once more, successful only in getting her off the bed, but not out of the room yet. Terra stopped him yet again.

"No," She protested, more firmly this time.

"You're rejecting me," Edgar started slowly, impatiently.

"No, it's not that, I just..." Terra couldn't finish. She turned away from him, tears brimming in her eyes. She blurted out, "You're scaring me, Edgar" - and regretted it just as quickly. She raised her eyes to his, feeling apologetic. She opened her mouth to speak, to take back her words, but Edgar cut her off.

"Terra... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." His voice was thick with regret. He paused a beat before adding, "You are a guest in my home. A refugee, really. You've been through a lot, and I should be more mindful of that." Then, "You know, you are very beautiful. I couldn't help myself." He smiled then, sweetly.

Terra smiled back. So he understood after all! She felt much better.

Edgar took Terra by the hand again, but this time with gentlemanly intent. He led her back to her bed by the window and watched as she climbed in and slipped under the covers. Then he made for the door. Before he left, he looked over his shoulder and added, "Goodnight, Terra."

"Goodnight, Edgar."

The king slipped out of the room. When the door to Terra's chamber clicked shut, her intentions returned to the open window and the fluttering curtains. Yet instead of trying to sort her fuzzy memories, instead of fearing her new surroundings and what lie in store for her, Terra found her mind lingering on the King of Figaro, and all those "fun things" in his bedchamber. She smiled to herself. There might be many things she forgot, but to her happy surprise, basic human nature wasn't one of them.


End file.
